Method and apparatus for wideband conferencing

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for wideband voice and optional data conferencing over a telecommunications network channel between at least two wideband communications devices. An exemplary method comprises establishing an audio link, verifying wideband capability between the at least two wideband communications devices, training modems of the at least two wideband communications device to line conditions, and adjusting the telecommunications connection line conditions between the communications devices. Once a wideband connection has been established, audio and data may be simultaneously exchanged.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/335,108, filed Dec. 31, 2002, and entitled “Method and Apparatus forWideband Conferencing,” which claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/345,929, filed Dec. 31, 2001, and entitled“Method and Apparatus for IP Conferencing,” and from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/360,984, filed Mar. 1, 2002, and entitled“Systems and Methods for Video Conferencing Across a Network,” all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of conferencing,and more particularly to a method and apparatus for widebandconferencing.

2. Description of the Background Art

Speakerphones and telephones are telecommunications devices used for avariety of purposes, typically for telephonic communications between twoor more endpoints and two or more parties. Remote teleconferencingserves a valuable purpose, and often enables increased productivitybetween, or within, organizations without raising associated costsincurred due to travel and time constraints.

Telecommunications devices (e.g., speakerphones, etc.) of the prior artare typically used to transmit analog, voice-based communications atfrequencies below 3.3 kiloHertz (kHz), and typically work over twodifferent types of telecommunications networks. The first type oftelecommunications network comprises the Plain Old Telephone System(POTS) and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The second typeof network relies upon network information technologies such as theInternet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN) or aVirtual Private Network (VPN) to transmit voice signals as data packets.However, each of these types of networks suffers from limitations uniqueto their respective type of network.

Over a PSTN/POTS network, a telecommunications device routes callsbetween specialized computers known as switches. A call signal is sentthrough a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), which addresses and connectscalls to a destination PBX and, ultimately, to a receivingtelecommunications device.

Referring to FIG. 1, a POTS/PSTN conferencing system 100 is shown. Aninitiating telecommunications device 102 sends a calling signal to a PBX104, which in turn routes the call to a switch 106. The switch 106,subsequently, routes the call to a receiving switch 108 over a PSTN 110.The call is then routed from the receiving switch 108 through adestination PBX 112 to a receiving telecommunications device 114. Inanalog mode, the telecommunications devices 102 and 114 may train andsynchronize, adjusting for line conditions such as amplitude response,delay distortions, timing recovery, and echo characteristics. However,conventional phones and speakerphones do very little training andsynchronizing, so the amount of training and synchronization can beanywhere to none, which still yields a working link (99.9% of phones doit this way) to other telecommunications devices. It should be notedthat the PBX is optional. In this embodiment, the telecommunicationsdevice may be connected directly to the switch 106. This is the typicalconnection from a user's home.

A primary source of quality degradation with telecommunications devicesoccurs as a result of network infrastructure characteristics such asfrequency handling and available bandwidth. The conferencing system 100operating over a PSTN/POTS network is typically limited by bothavailable frequency and a narrow range of bandwidth. These networkcharacteristics limit type, form, and amount of data shared betweentelecommunications devices 102 and 114. Conventional narrow bandwidthsystems further limit audio quality: audio bandwidth, audio noise level,audio path gain, etc.

Conventional telecommunications devices are typically designed to filterout frequencies above 3.3 kHz. However, the filtering of frequenciesbetween 3.3 kHz and 7 kHz significantly reduces sound quality, clarity,and distinction. The fact that conventional telecommunications devicesand networks filter frequencies above 3.3 kHz limits intelligibility ofspeech and other sounds, because much of the content that the eardepends on is carried in these higher frequencies. This results inconnections that sound hollow, muddled, muffled, or distorted. The useof analog pathways also introduces significant variations in gain, thusone connection will be much quieter than another. This results in aconnection that is difficult to hear. The use of analog pathways alsooften introduces significant noise, resulting in connections that aredifficult to understand. The combination of all these degradations,which is common on conventional phone lines, results in poor andvariable call quality. These problems are exacerbated when participantsin a conference are in sub-optimal environments, such as reverberantrooms, when there are multiple participants who may interrupt oneanother, or when participants do not all share a common native languageor dialect, resulting in accented speech that can be difficult tounderstand in the best of conditions, and impossible over a phoneconnection. Another problem often associated with conventionaltelecommunications devices includes the transmission of background noiseand static over a PSTN call. Thus, current telecommunications devicesoften provide poor Quality of Service (QoS) and lack enhanced featuresand functionality.

Alternatively, the second type of telecommunications network may alsorely upon PSTN, but transmits signals over digital networks using packetswitching. This treatment results in a technique known as Voice over IP(VoIP) or simply IP. VoIP devices forward sound and other data aspackets of information over digital networks using standards includingITU H.323, MGCP, SIP, etc. Using an embedded modem and codec, a VoIPdevice encodes voice (and/or other sounds) as data packets that areswitched between network-addressed servers. The network-addressedservers process, reassemble, and convert digital signals to analogsignals at a receiving VoIP device.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary IP conferencing system 200 of theprior art is shown. An IP device 202 encodes sound from analog signalsinto digital data packets using a codec 204. Using a modem 206 orsimilar device, the system 200 switches data packets through a home (orother type of) network 208 such as a LAN, WAN, etc. One example of acommunications device is an RS-232-C modem. The system 200 thentransmits the data packets through a firewall 210, if one is present, toan access server 212. The access server 212 enables the data packets tobe switched onto an Internet backbone 214.

Next, the system 200 forwards the data packets through a destinationaccess server 216 and a destination firewall 218, if one is present, toa receiving home (or other type of) network 220. The data packets arere-modulated via a modem 222 or similar device, and encoded into analogvoice-based signals using a codec 224. The modem 222 and codec 224 areembedded in a receiving VoIP device 226, in one example.

Although the system 200 enables VoIP, there are significant problemsassociated with this type of conferencing over an IP network. Oneproblem of conventional PSTN and IP-capable telecommunications devicesis an inability to conduct effective simultaneous sound (e.g., voice,etc.) and data conferencing due to bandwidth limitations and lowerfrequency ranges. Further, significant problems with conferencing over aVoIP network are that expanded services such as wideband audio orside-channel data cannot be shared with non-VoIP devices, whichconstitute the great majority of endpoints in the world.

Another limitation of VoIP telecommunications devices results from timedelays incurred from data packet re-assembly. The delay in re-assemblyresults in broken and unnatural speech, greatly reducing the quality ofthe conference call. Still another limitation with IP conferencing isdata vulnerability to external breaches of security. Although dataencryption can be implemented using means such as public and privatesession keys, bandwidth restrictions impose a significant burden upontelecommunications devices and substantially affect QoS.

Multimedia conferencing represents a substantial improvement over voiceconferencing. However, current telecommunications devices are incapableof overcoming existing network limitations. Furthermore, currenttelecommunications devices cannot effectually bridge or manage multiplecalls. The limited frequency range of 3.3 kHz prohibits multiple callfunctions from being simultaneously performed including bridging or dataexchange. Current telecomm devices can bridge and manage multiple calls,but their usability is degraded due to the fact that the availablebandwidth is much less than the bandwidth of human speech. Further, thisissue becomes more critical as more people are in the conference.Understandability, more sources of noise, increases difficulty inidentifying the talker, for example. As a separate but significant issuein modern teleconferencing, there is very limited ability to communicateside-channel data (such as sending dial-additional-call commands,requesting cost-of-conference-so-far status information, and so forth)between the participants or to a bridging device. The most commontechnique is to use DTMF tones, which is slow and disruptive.

Yet another limitation of prior art narrowband conferencing systems istheir ineffectiveness in handling multiple simultaneous speakers (orother sources of sound). A further problematic limitation of prior artnarrowband speakerphones is call degradation due to the exclusionaryfiltering of signals above 3.3 kHz. Thus, conventionaltelecommunications devices have severe limitations related to QoS, datasecurity, bridging, and advanced communications functions. Therefore,there is a need for a new and innovative method and apparatus forwideband audio conferencing using existing infrastructures to deliverenhanced services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, in various embodiments, a method forwideband voice and data conferencing over a communications networkbetween wideband communications devices. According to one embodiment ofthe present invention, a system determines whether a wideband audiocommunications device is communicating with another wideband audiocommunications device. If both devices have wideband capability, thendata is sent via wideband audio communications. Alternatively, if one ofthe communications devices is not wideband capable, then thecommunication is performed via a narrowband connection. In bothsituations, the communications devices may train (coordinated andconnected, which may include training) prior to the connection. Further,the system may adjust the communications between the communicationsdevices based on network conditions.

In an exemplary embodiment of the system, a wideband audiocommunications device, such as a speakerphone, comprises an integratedmodem, at least one microphone, and at least one audio codec. The atleast one microphone obtains audio from conference participants locatedin proximity of the wideband audio communications device. The audiocodec then encodes the obtained audio into digitized audio signals fortransmission over a wideband audio connection to a receiving widebandaudio communications device. In an exemplary embodiment, the widebandaudio connection is over a PSTN. The wideband audio communicationsdevice further comprises a speaker for outputting audio received from aremote communications device.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portionsof the specification and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) and aPublic-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) of the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system of theprior art;

FIG. 3 a illustrates a wideband conferencing system over a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 b illustrates a wideband audio conferencing system over a PSTN,according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 a illustrates a wideband conferencing system according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 b illustrates an alternative, exemplary wideband audioconferencing system;

FIG. 5 a illustrates a wideband data conferencing system between twowideband communications devices utilizing a gateway, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 b illustrates a conferencing system utilizing a gateway when onedevice in on POTS and a second device in on an IP network;

FIG. 6 a illustrates an exemplary wideband communications device;

FIG. 6 b illustrates an alternative exemplary wideband communicationsdevice;

FIG. 7 is exemplary signal flow path for wideband data exchange;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method of establishing awideband telephony conference; and

FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an alternative method ofestablishing a wideband telephony conference.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the exemplary drawings wherein like reference numeralsindicate like or corresponding elements among the figures, exemplaryembodiments of a system and method according to the present inventionwill now be described in detail. Detailed descriptions of variousembodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, thatthe present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting,but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention invirtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, method, process,or manner.

As mentioned herein, various drawbacks to the prior art telephonyapproaches exist. For example, call degradation of prior art phonesystems often occurs due to the exclusionary filtering of signals withfrequencies above 3.3 kHz.

Advantageously, wideband audio communications devices eliminate numerouslimitations of narrowband communications devices, such as conventionalphones, and may effectively enable simultaneously combined audio anddata communications. In one embodiment according to the presentinvention, video and audio conferencing at higher frequencies (e.g., 7kHz) greatly increases call quality and clarity. Additionally, increasedbandwidth, in which the bandwidth enhancement is based on the principleof exchanging audio as compressed digital information via a codec,permits improved capabilities such as voice and data security betweenendpoints. Wideband communications devices also enable simultaneousaudio and data communications, wideband bridging, private session keyexchange for network and data security, and additional call managementcapabilities.

Referring to FIG. 3 a, an overview of an exemplary wideband conferencingsystem 300 of the present invention is depicted. This embodiment allowsfor the transmission of both audio and data signals. At one endpoint ofthe conferencing system 300 are a computing device 302 and a videodisplay 304. In alternative embodiments, the computing device 302 andthe video display 304 are integrated into one device. In a furtherembodiment, other devices may be coupled instead of, or in addition to,the computing device 302 such as projectors, cameras, etc. Data is inputor initially stored in the computing device 302. The data is thenforwarded to a codec 306, which compresses the data for transmission.

A wideband communications devices 308 (e.g., a telephone, speakerphone,etc.) coupled to the computing device 302 comprises at least one codec310 and a modem 312. The wideband communications device 308 furthercomprises a microphone for picking up audio and a speaker (not shown)for outputting audio from a remote site. The codec 310 is a commondevice or technique for converting a signal (in this case, an analog,and especially audio, signal) to digital data. Examples of codecsinclude, but are not limited to, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728, etc.Thus, the codec 310 receives audio signals from the microphone, andencodes the audio signals for transmission over a PSTN 318 at higherfrequencies then conventional audio signals over PSTN. Although thecodec 310 is shown embodied in the communications device 302,alternatively, the codec 310 may be embodied in a different device or bea stand-alone device.

The modem 312 modulates all signals for transmission over the PSTN 318.The modem 312 is a common device or technique for sending digital dataover an analog medium such as a phone line. Examples of modems includeBell212, V.34, V.90, and V.92. Thus, the encoded audio signals from thecodec 310 are modulated by the modem 312 and sent as digitized audiosignals over the PSTN 318. In one embodiment, the modem 312 acts as amultiplexer to combine the audio signals, control data signals, and datasignals received from the codec 306. In an alternative embodiment, amultiplexer or similar device may be utilized to combine these signalsfor transmission. In a further alternative embodiment, compressed speechdata from the codec 310 and control data may be sent through the modem,while video/graphic data from the codec 306 is routed through a secondnetwork 314 via a router or switch.

Accessing an external communications network 314, such as the Internet,wideband communications devices 308 and 320 can access and retrieve datastored in a central office data conferencing server 316. The centraloffice data conferencing server 316 may be a repository for data, be avoice bridge, or generally control the conference (e.g., allowmulti-endpoint communications). In one embodiment, control signals forretrieving data from the data conferencing server 316 are sent over thePSTN 318 along with the audio signals. The control data is sent via aseparate data channel. Further, a separate data side-channel may beutilized for sending connection information, such as URL and websiteinformation. In these embodiments, the wideband communications device308 and receiving wideband communications device 320 both have dualconnections to the PSTN 318 and the external communications network 314.The present system uses the limited data exchange capabilities of thePSTN 318 to send control signals to efficiently manage data retrieval ofsubstantial file sizes from the external communications network 314.Included with the control signals may be a private password or sessionkey, which directs the receiving wideband communications device 320and/or a receiving computing device 322 to a specific network address toretrieve data (e.g., the data conferencing server 316).

At a receiving endpoint, a receiving modem 324 demodulates receivedconference signals. The modem 324 (if it is acting as a multiplexerdevice) or a multiplexer device then separates the data signals from theaudio signals. A receiving internal codec 326 decodes the receiveddigitized audio signals. The audio is then output to a user through aninternal speaker (not shown), while the data signals are sent to a codec328. Control signals may either be utilized internal in the receivingcommunications device 320 or sent to the computing device 322. Thereceiving codec 328 then decodes the digital data signals enabling thedata to be displayed at the receiving computing device 322 or areceiving video display 330, or utilized by other coupled devices. Ifthe data signals contain the control signals, then the computing device322 is directed to a specific network address to retrieve data. Both thedata retrieve/display and the audio occur relatively simultaneously toan end user.

In the above-described embodiment, both audio and limited data signalsare transmitted over the PSTN 318. In one embodiment, the transmittingcommunications device 308 modulates the control data and/or the datasignals onto a carrier signal, or adds DTMF signals to the audio signal.The carrier or DTMF signal is then added to the audio signal prior totransmission. The multiplexing may occur at a specialized modem, oralternatively, at a separate multiplexing device. Alternatively, onlyaudio signals may be sent via the PSTN 318 while data signals are sentvia the external communications network 314.

Because communications is bilateral, the receiving communications device320 and the receiving computing device 322 may operate as a transmittingcommunications device and transmitting computer device, respectively. Inthis situation, the codec 328 will encode/compress data received fromthe computing device 322 prior to forwarding the data to thecommunication device 320. Similarly, the codec 326 will encode the audiosignals received from an internal microphone (not shown), while themodem 324 modulates all signals for transmission over the PSTN 318. Onthe receiving end, the communications device 308 now demodulates thesignal with the modem 312, and decodes the audio signals via the codec310. The audio is then output to a user via the internal speaker. Datasignals are then sent to the codec 306 for decoding/decompression, andsubsequent display on, or operated on by, the computing device 302and/or the display 304, or sent to other coupled devices. In furtherembodiments, more computing devices may be coupled to the communicationsdevices.

The conferencing system 300 of FIG. 3 a is described in connection withdata conferencing. However, it should be noted that a conferencingsystem, according to the present invention may operate without dataexchange as simply a wideband audio conferencing system, as shown inFIG. 3 b. In this embodiment, the communications device 308 is onlycoupled to the communications device 320 via the PSTN 318. Thus,digitized audio signals (and optional control data signals) are sent viathe PSTN 318. It should be noted that although FIGS. 3 a and 3 b onlyshow two communications devices coupled via the PSTN, any number ofcommunications devices can be involved in a conference session.

Referring to FIG. 4 a, an exemplary wideband voice conferencing system400 is shown whereby audio and data signals are transmitted via a PSTN412. Initially, a computing device 402 provides data that issubsequently encoded/compressed by a codec 404. The encoded data is thensent to a wideband communications device 406.

The wideband communications device 406 (e.g., a telephone, speakerphone,etc.) comprises at least one codec 408, a microphone for picking upaudio (not shown), and a speaker (not shown) for outputting audio from aremote site. The codec 408 receives audio signals from the microphone,and encodes the audio signals for transmission over the PSTN 412 in adigital form. A line interface 410 coupled to the communications device406 is an exemplary means of establishing a network connection from thewideband communications device 406 to the PSTN 412. In one embodiment,the line interface 410 may be a ISDN hub utilizing protocols such as,but not limited to, SIP, TCP, and IP.

A receiving line interface 414 coupled to the PSTN 412 receives theencoded signals and forwards the signals to a communications device 418which comprises a codec 416, a microphone (not shown), and a speaker(not shown). Subsequently, the receiving codec 416 decodes the audiosignals and presents the audio to conference participants via theinternal speakers. Roughly simultaneously, the data signals areforwarded to codec 420 for decoding. The decoded data is thentransmitted to a computing device 422. Alternatively, the conferencingsystem may be reversed with the wideband communications device 418transmitting data to the communications device 406. In furtherembodiments, more computing devices may be coupled to each of thecommunications devices.

FIG. 4 b illustrates a similar conferencing system to the FIG. 4 aembodiment. However, the FIG. 4 b embodiment only allows forcommunication of signals generated by the communications devices 406 or418. Thus, audio received by the internal microphone of thecommunications device 406 is digitized by the codec 408 and sent via thePSTN 412 to the communications device 418, and vice-versa. Control datagenerated by the communications devices 406 and 418 may also be sent viathe PSTN on a side-channel.

Referring to FIG. 5 a, another exemplary wideband conferencing system500 uses bridging and media control. Initially, a computing device 502transmits encoded data to a wideband communications device 506 using acodec 504, which processes the data signals for transmission. Thewideband communications device 506, which is coupled to the network 508,also receives audio from an internal microphone (not shown). Otherdevices may also be coupled to the network 508 including, but notlimited to, a G.711 communications device 510, a G.722.1 communicationsdevice 512, and a video conferencing device 514 in any combinationthereof.

Accessed through the network 508, audio and data can be managed from agateway/media control unit 516. The exemplary gateway/media control unit516 controls signal routing and serves as a communications networkinterface for both video and audio signals. Video signals may includehigh-resolution still graphics, moving video images, images ofspreadsheets, and other visual presentations. The gateway/media controlunit 516 comprises a transcoder 518, a data conferencing server 520, anda bridge 522. The transcoder 518 encodes data retrieved from the dataconferencing server 520. Alternatively, other embodiments of thegateway/media control unit 516 may contain more or less elements.

Additionally, the gateway/media control unit 516 enables multipleendpoints to be simultaneously bridged using the bridge 522 regardlessof the use of data retrieval. The bridge 522 is capable of integratingPSTN audio, VGA-LAN (i.e., high-resolution graphics imagery) data, andIP-voice into a single conference. Data and bridged calls are routedthrough a destination network 524 to a receiving wideband communicationsdevice 526. Voice signals may be presented to a user though a speakerlocated in the communications device 526, while data signals areforwarded to a receiving codec 528. After decoding, the data may then bedisplayed at a receiving computing device 530. In addition to, orinstead of, the communications device 526, other devices may be coupledto the network 524. These devices may include, but are not limited to, aG.711 communications device 532, a G.722.1 communications device 534,and a videoconferencing device 536. In further embodiments of thepresent invention, audio signals may be presented to the user throughthe computing device 530 and/or data may be displayed or presented atthe communications device 526. Because communications is bilateral, theconferencing system 500 may operate in the reverse (i.e., thecommunications device 526 transmits signals to the communications device506).

In one embodiment, the transcoder 518 encodes digital audio signalsaccording to ITU standards (e.g., G.711 for either PBX or ISDN channels,etc.). Additionally, the transcoder 518 encodes audio signals inaccordance with ITU standards (e.g., G.722.1, etc.) for widebandtransmission above 7 kHz. Further, alternative components encompassingother ITU, non-ITU standards, or other techniques are interchangeablewith the transcoder 518. The transcoder 518 also can direct thereceiving wideband communications device 526 (or communications device506 in the reverse process) to a particular network address for dataretrieval.

The data conferencing server 520 is integrated within the gateway mediacontrol unit 516, and can be used by all conferencing parties. Thestorage and retrieval of data from the data conferencing server 520 iscontrolled by signals passed between the wideband communications devices506 and 526. In further embodiments, it is possible for narrowbanddevices to participate in a wideband speakerphone conference. As will bedescribed further below in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9, the presentinvention allows for determination of whether participatingcommunications devices are wideband or narrowband, and can adjustcommunications accordingly.

FIG. 5 b is an exemplary conference system 550 whereby onecommunications device 552 is located on an IP network, while a secondcommunications device 572 uses POTS. In this embodiment, thecommunications device 552 encodes audio via a codec 554. The audio datapackets are then switched via a modem 556 through a home network 558 orsimilar network (e.g., LAN, WAN, etc.). The audio data packets are sentthrough a firewall 560 (if one exists) to an access server 562, whichallows the audio data packets to be switched onto an Internet backbone564.

The packets are then sent to a destination server 566, and to aVoIP/POTS gateway 568. The VoIP/POTS gateway 568 translates between theVoIP's version of wideband audio to a form of wideband audio utilized bythe communications device 572. Once translated, the packets are sentthrough POTS wiring 570 to the communications device 572. The packetsare then demodulated by an internal modem 574 and decoded by an internalcodec 576. The audio is then presented to a user of the communicationsdevice 572 via an internal speaker (not shown).

The conference system 550 is a bilateral communications system.Therefore, audio may be sent from the POTS communications device 572 tothe VoIP communications device 552. In this embodiment, audio isreceived by an internal microphone in the communications device 572 andencoded by the codec 576. The digitized audio signals are then sent viathe modem 574 to the VoIP/POTS gateway 568 via the POTS wiring 570. TheVoIP/POTS gateway translates the POTS wideband signal into a VoIPwideband signal compatible with the communications device 552.Subsequently, the signal is then routed to the communications device552.

In further keeping with exemplary embodiments, FIG. 6 a illustrates anexemplary block diagram of a wideband communications device 600 of thepresent invention. The wideband communications device 600 is coupled toa PSTN 602. In one embodiment, the wideband communications device 600 isalso optionally coupled to the Internet 604. For signals switched overthe PSTN 602, a line interface 606 relays signals to and from either acodec 608 (e.g., G.711 codec) or a codec 610 (e.g., G.722.1 codec) whichencodes audio signals received by a microphone 611 or similar audiosensor, and decodes audio signals received from a remote site. The codec610 is coupled to the line interface 606 via an optional voice channel612 and a digital modem 614. In one embodiment, the codec 608 mayoperate in narrowband, while the codec 610 and the modem operate inwideband. In alternative embodiments, more or less codecs may beembodied in the communications device 600.

Further coupled to the modem 614 is a control module 616. The controlmodule 616 enables users to manage calls and adjust sounds renderedaudible by a speaker 617. Supervisory control of conferencing is alsohandled by the control module 616, which provides control data toconferencing parties in order to modify conferencing parameters. Theseparameters include directing the type and manner of audio and/or videodisplay, caller intervention, secure access and retrieval of data, and avariety of other functions. The modem 614 receives both the audio andcontrol data signals, and forwards the signals to the line interface fortransmission over the PSTN 602. Thus, the communications device 600 mayprovide a digital control channel and a voice channel over a modem linkto the PSTN 602. On a receiving end, the control data may be sent to acontrol module of the receiving communications device where theparameters may then be altered.

For digital data over the Internet 604, a network interface 618 (e.g.,Ethernet interface) relays signals to and from a protocol stack 620. Theprotocol stack 620 establishes Internet voice and protocol videoconferencing sessions. For data received from the Internet 604, the datasignals are passed to the control module 616. Ultimately, conferencingvideo or other data are decoded by a codec 622, and transmitted to acomputing device 624 and/or a video display 626. When sending data overthe Internet 604, the codec 622 encodes the data from the computingdevice 624, and forwards the encoded data to the communications device600. The communications device 600 then processes the signals beforeforwarding the data to the Internet 604 via the network interface 618.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the communicationsdevice 600 further comprises an embedded audio echo canceller. Thisaudio echo canceller allows for full-duplex conversation betweenparticipating endpoints. In one embodiment, this audio canceller may beembodied in the voice channel 612.

FIG. 6 b shows an alternative embodiment of the wideband communicationsdevice whereby both codecs 608 and 610 are coupled to the voice channel612. In this embodiment, the voice channel 612 comprises the audio echocanceller. Thus all audio signals must pass through the audio echocanceller, which provides full-duplex functions in narrowband orwideband mode. Further, in an exemplary embodiment of the widebandcommunications device 600, the codec 608 operates in narrowband mode,while the codec 612 and the modem operate in wideband mode.

With regards to both embodiments of FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, alternatively,the wideband communications device 600 may only be coupled to the PSTN602. In this embodiment, the protocol stack 620 and the networkinterface 618 are not present in the wideband communications device 600.In further embodiments, more or less elements may be present in thecommunications device. However, it is preferred that the integratedwideband communications device 600, at a minimum, comprises at least onecodec, a modem, a microphone, and a speaker. Additionally, thecommunications device 600 may not be coupled to the codec 622, thecomputing device 624, and the video display 626.

There are primarily two main purposes to wideband data exchange. Thefirst purpose is to transmit data between endpoints. The second purposeis to direct an endpoint to a location such as a central office datastorage repository to retrieve conferencing data such as spreadsheets orimages. Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary signal flow path 700 forwideband data exchange is shown. Control signals containing encrypteddata and session keys from an initiating wideband communications device702 pass through a network 704 and an optional security firewall 706 toa gateway media control unit 708. The gateway media control unit 708initiates a data exchange using Session Initial Protocols (SIPs) thatestablish data tunnels 710 on either end of a data conferencing server712. The data tunnels 710 permit exchange of security information suchas session keys that encrypt specific network addresses for the dataconferencing server 712. Data retrieved or sent must pass through adestination firewall 714 (if one exists) of a destination network 716before reaching a receiving wideband communications device 718.

In one embodiment, the gateway media control unit 708 controlsconnections of H.263 bi-directional data streams between two endpoints.Initially, the gateway media control unit 708 receives HTTP connectionsfrom the two endpoints (e.g., wideband communications devices 702 and718), and if the two endpoints present matching session keys, thegateway media control unit 708 connects the H.263 data streams to eachendpoint. Additionally, the gateway media control unit 708 may validatethat each endpoint is registered and authorized for service.

Data can be either sent directly between the transmitting widebandcommunications device 702 and the receiving wideband communicationsdevice 718, or directed for retrieval from the data conferencing server712 by passing control data such as session keys. For larger amounts ofdata, the preferred method would be to pass control data or signalsusing the flow path 700 described in FIG. 7, thus reducing the amount ofdata passed between endpoints. By storing data on the data conferencingserver 712, the amount of necessary data transmitted is reduced to theencrypted network address passed between endpoints. In one embodiment,the control data and session keys are sent via a PSTN connection, whiledata is sent/retrieved via the Internet. This method leverages the useof combined analog PSTN and data network connections (e.g., theInternet) to reduce call latency and delay. Although FIG. 7 is describedin connection to data exchange, a similar signal path may be utilizedfor the exchange of wideband audio.

In an alternative embodiment, data may be stored on an internal server.Due to security concerns of storing data on the Internet, some users mayprefer to host a web server on their own internal system. In thissituation, the communications devices are configured to point to theprivate, internal server via a web page in each communications device.This configuration may be performed once when the communications deviceis installed.

Referring to FIG. 8, an exemplary flowchart 800 illustrates one methodfor initiating a wideband audio conference with an optional dataside-channel. At step 802, a call is initiated, and the audio portion islinked. Subsequently, a wideband probe signal is sent from an initiatingwideband communications device in step 804. The purpose of the widebandprobe is to determine whether a receiving communications device,computing device, etc. is wideband telephony-capable. If at step 806 awideband probe query does not receive a response, then the transmittingwideband communications device enters a narrowband mode at step 808 andconnects the call as a narrowband call at step 810. Consequently, thebehavior of the wideband communications device is typical of an analog,PSTN-switched POTS call.

Alternatively, if the wideband probe reply signal is returned positivelyat step 806, then the wideband communications device shifts to awideband mode at step 814. In the wideband mode, the widebandcommunications device begins initiating training at step 816 with thereceiving communications device. Training is a telecommunicationstechnique used by many modems for ensuring that QoS and call quality aremaximized by synchronizing modems to each other, adjusting for changingline conditions such as delay, signal distortion and amplitude response,etc. Training usually, but not always, occurs prior to establishing aconnection, depending on the specifications of the modem. If twomodems/communications devices fail to train, a call connection will notbe established.

Once both wideband communications devices are trained and synchronizedat step 818 to exchange both voice and optional data signals, the callis connected at step 820. In the wideband mode, both endpoints (i.e.,the transmitting wideband communications device and the receivingcommunications device) will hear sounds employing audio signals up to 7kHz, in one embodiment. It is contemplated that other frequencies can beused, or that other audio enhancements, such as stereo, or enhanceddynamic range, can be transmitted. Conferencing parties can alsoexchange data or direct another parties to retrieve data from datastorage repositories. These enhancements lead to a high degree ofinteractivity and increased capabilities for multimedia communication.

In an alternative embodiment, the initialing wideband communicationsdevice may determine a receiving communications device is not widebandcapable without using a probe. In this embodiment, once the audio islinked, the receiving communication device may respond with speech(e.g., a user of the receiving communications device says “hello”). Uponreceiving the speech, the initiating communications device determinesthe receiving communications device is not wideband capable, and theaudio only conference (i.e., narrowband connection) can start.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment whereby the receivingcommunications device initiates a wideband probe. At step 902, a call isinitiated by a transmitting communications device. Subsequently, anaudio link is established between the transmitting communications deviceand a receiving communications device. Next, a wideband probe signal issent from by the wideband, receiving communications device in step 904to determine whether the transmitting communications device is widebandtelephony-capable. If at step 906 a wideband probe query does notreceive a response, then the receiving, wideband communications deviceenters a narrowband mode at step 908 and connects the call as anarrowband call at step 910. Consequently, the behavior of the widebandcommunications device is typical of an analog, PSTN-switched POTS call.

Alternatively, if the wideband probe reply signal is returned positivelyat step 906, then the wideband communications device shifts to awideband mode at step 914. In the wideband mode, the widebandcommunications device begins initiating training at step 916 with thetransmitting communications device. Once both wideband communicationsdevices are trained and synchronized at step 918 to exchange both voiceand data signals, the call is connected at step 920. As described withreference to FIGS. 3-5, once the wideband connection has beenestablished, both audio and data may be transmitted between the widebandcommunications devices.

In embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9 where a wideband conference isestablished, the systems may monitor for line conditions and adjustaccordingly. For example, quality of an audio (and possibly data)connection may be adjusted based on available data bandwidth. The morebits that can be sent over the PSTN, the better the quality audio codecsetting can be used for encoding the audio (and optional data) signals.Further, the present system may automatically adjust the quality of theconnection during a call, and in some situations, will even drop thecall to a conventional analog, narrowband connection when the connectionquality drops too low.

For purposes of clarity, some references to data may be construed torefer to audio data or digitized audio signals, while other referencesmay refer to control data, or alternatively to video/graphics data.

The invention has been described above with reference to exemplaryembodiments. Many variations of the invention will become apparent tothose of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. For example,more devices may be coupled to the wideband communications device forproviding data signals. Further, although exemplary codecs and standardshave been described for use in the present invention, those skilled inthe art will recognize that other codecs and standards may be utilized.Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined not withreference to the above description, but instead should be construed inview of the full breadth and spirit of the invention as disclosedherein.

1. A method for wideband conferencing over a narrowband Plain OldTelephone System (POTS) connection from a first device, comprising:establishing one narrowband analog audio connection to a second deviceover a POTS connection; verifying that the second device is widebandcapable; obtaining a first wideband digital audio signal at the firstdevice; transmitting the first wideband digital audio signal over thenarrowband audio connection from the first device to the second device;and receiving a second wideband digital audio signal from the seconddevice and reproducing audio from the received second wideband digitalaudio signal at the first device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst and the second wideband digital audio signals have audiofrequencies above 3.4 KHz.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisinga step of: establishing a digital sideband between at least the firstdevice and the second device for data communication.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the data communication includes exchange of controldata between at least the first device and the second device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein verifying that the second device is widebandcapable is performed by the first device sending an audio probe to thesecond device and receiving a predetermined audio acknowledgement fromthe second device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that thesecond device is wideband capable is performed by the first devicereceiving an audio probe from the second device and sending apredetermined audio acknowledgement to the second device.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising adjusting quality of the connection basedon available bandwidth.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the adjustingfurther comprises modifying a setting of an audio codec in the firstdevice.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein when the available bandwidthon the POTS connection is below a threshold, the communication betweenthe first device and the second device reverts to analog narrow bandaudio communication.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprisingutilizing audio echo cancellation in the first device to allow forfull-duplex conversation.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein reproducingaudio at the first device is performed via a speaker.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first device comprises a wideband capabletelephone.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprisesa personal computer having a modem, a speaker and a microphone.
 14. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first device is bridged using a bridgelocated on a network.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:obtaining the second wideband digital audio signal at the second device;receiving the first wideband digital audio signal from the first deviceand reproducing audio from the received first wideband digital audiosignal at the second device.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theadjusting further comprises modifying a setting of an audio codec in thesecond device.
 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising utilizingaudio echo cancellation in the second device to allow for full-duplexconversation.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein reproducing the audiosignals at the second device is performed via a speaker.
 19. The methodof claim 15, wherein the second device comprises a wideband capabletelephone.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the second devicecomprises a personal computer having a modem, a speaker and amicrophone.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the second device isbridged using a bridge located on a network.
 22. A device capable ofconducting a wideband conference over a narrowband analog Plain OldTelephone System (POTS) connection, comprising: a microphone; a codeccoupled to the microphone; a modem coupled to the codec and for couplingto the analog POTS connection; a controller coupled to the codec and themodem; and an audio reproducing device coupled to the codec; wherein thecodec is operative to convert analog audio signals to wideband digitalsignals and wideband digital signals to analog audio signals; whereinthe modem is operative to modulate and demodulate digital signalsexchanged through the POTS connection; and wherein the controller isoperative to verify a second communication device connected over thePOTS connection is wideband capable.
 23. The device of claim 22, whereinthe controller verifying a second communication device is widebandcapable is performed by sending an audio wideband probe and receiving anaudio wideband acknowledgement.
 24. The device of claim 22, wherein thecontroller verifying a second communication device is wideband capableis performed by receiving an audio wideband probe and returning an audiowideband acknowledgement.
 25. The device of claim 22, wherein thecontroller is operative to establish a side data communication besidesthe audio communication.
 26. The device of claim 25, wherein thecontroller is operative to modify a setting of the device based on thereceived data through the side data communication.
 27. The device ofclaim 22 where in the codec is a G.711 codec.
 28. The device of claim 22wherein the codec is a G.722.1 codec.
 29. The device of claim 22 furthercomprising an audio echo canceller coupled to the codec to allowfull-duplex audio communication.
 30. The device of claim 22 wherein theaudio communication has audio frequencies above 3.4 KHz.
 31. The deviceof claim 22 wherein the audio reproducing device comprises an earphone.32. The device of claim 22 wherein the audio reproducing devicecomprises a speaker.
 33. The device of claim 22 wherein the controlleris operative to adjust quality of connection based on availablebandwidth.
 34. The device of claim 33, wherein the controller isoperative to switch the wideband digital audio communication to a narrowband analog audio communication when the available bandwidth drops belowa threshold.
 35. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon aprogram, the program being executable by a machine for wide audio bandconferencing on a narrow audio band network to perform a method as inclaims 1-21.
 36. A wideband conference system capable of conductingwideband conferencing over a narrowband Plain Old Telephone System(POTS) connection, comprising: a first device having a microphone, acodec coupled to the microphone; a modem coupled to the codec and forcoupling to the analog POTS connection; a controller coupled to thecodec and the modem; and an audio reproducing device coupled to thecodec; a second device connected to the first device through the POTSconnection, having a microphone, a codec coupled to the microphone inthe second device; a modem coupled to the codec and for coupling to thePOTS connection; a controller coupled to the codec and the modem; and anaudio reproducing device coupled to the codec; wherein the codecs areoperative to convert analog audio signals to wideband digital signalsand wideband digital signals to analog audio signals; wherein the modemsare operative to modulate and demodulate digital signals exchangedthrough the POTS connection; and wherein the controllers are operativeto verify the first and second devices connected over the POTSconnection are wideband capable.
 37. The system of claim 36, wherein thecontrollers verifying the first and second devices connected over thePOTS connection are wideband capable is performed by sending an audiowideband probe and receiving an audio wideband acknowledgement.
 38. Thesystem of claim 36, wherein the controllers verifying the first andsecond devices connected over the POTS connection are wideband capableis performed by receiving an audio wideband probe and sending an audiowideband acknowledgement.
 39. The system of claim 36, wherein thecontrollers are operative to establish a side data communication besidesthe audio communication.
 40. The system of claim 36, wherein thecontrollers are operative to modify a setting of at least one of thefirst and second devices based on the received data through the sidedata communication.
 41. The system of claim 36 wherein the codecs areG.711 codecs or G.722.1 codecs.
 42. The system of claim 36 wherein atleast one of the first and second devices further comprises an audioecho canceller coupled to the codec to allow full-duplex audiocommunication.
 43. The system of claim 36 wherein the audiocommunication has audio frequencies above 3.4 KHz.
 44. The system ofclaim 36 wherein the audio reproducing device of at least one of thefirst and second devices comprises an earphone.
 45. The system of claim36 wherein the audio reproducing device of at least one of the first andsecond devices comprises a speaker.
 46. The system of claim 36 whereinthe controllers are operative to adjust quality of connection based onavailable bandwidth.
 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the controllersare operative to switch the wideband digital audio communication to anarrow band analog audio communication when the available bandwidthdrops below a threshold.